Scottish Executive

Air Services

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken, and is taking, to promote the development of new air routes from Glasgow Airport.

Lewis Macdonald: The First Minister recently announced the creation of an Interim Route Development Fund aimed at investing in new air routes which provide the maximum return for Scotland as a whole in terms of business links, foreign direct investment and in-bound tourism. Around £6 million has been allocated to this initiative.

  Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise officials are progressing the detail of the scheme with specialist consultants and these consultants are currently having detailed discussions with airport operators and airlines.

Asylum Seekers

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has been consulted by the Home Office regarding the siting of accommodation centres in Scotland under the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 and, if so, what response it gave and whether the consultation related to the education of children of residents of such centres.

Ms Margaret Curran: No decision on the siting of accommodation centres in Scotland has yet been taken. The Scottish Executive has therefore not yet been consulted by the Home Office about location or education provision at such centres.

Bridges

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it will give to any impact on navigation of the River Clyde into Glasgow city centre when it considers whether to approve the proposed Finnieston Bridge.

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it will make of any impact on river traffic when it considers whether to approve the proposed Finnieston Bridge.

Des McNulty: A planning application for this proposed development has been notified to the Scottish ministers and is currently being considered. All such matters will be taken into account before a decision is reached.

Building (Scotland) Bill

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish ministers will, under the Building (Scotland) Bill, be able to require that improvements be made, to a level no higher than that required by building standards, in an existing building or class of buildings where there is a clear public health and safety interest or other interest such as energy efficiency, or as a result of European legislation or where repairs are needed in case of damage caused by flood or storm, as referred to in section 17.1 of its consultation paper, Improving Building Standards: Proposals .

Ms Margaret Curran: Yes. The relevant powers are set out in section 22 of the Building (Scotland) Bill.

Central Heating Programme

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the five most common reasons are for rejecting applications under its central heating installation programme and to what percentage of rejected applications each such reason applies.

Des McNulty: There are only four common reasons for refusing applications under the central heating programme from owner-occupiers and private renters. Because the applicant already has full or partial central heating. Because the applicant has not lived at the address for at least one year, in which case they are advised to re-apply after a full year’s residence. Because the applicant is a local authority or housing association tenant, in which case they are told to apply to their landlord. Because the applicant is aged under 60, in which case they are advised to re-apply when they, or their spouse, if any, is 60. Eaga do not regularly collect statistics on the number of applications which are rejected for one or more of these reasons.

Central Heating Programme

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive further to the answer to question S1W-27257 by Hugh Henry on 31 July 2002, what the average length of time between receipt of an application and completion of installation has been under its central heating installation programme in each postcode area.

Des McNulty: The average length of time between the events described is currently 170 days. This figure is an all-Scotland average. A breakdown by postcode area is not available.

Central Heating Programme

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many pensioners in Renfrewshire have benefited from the (a) Warm Deal scheme and (b) central heating installation programme in each of the last five years and how many are expected to benefit in future years.

Des McNulty: The Warm Deal was introduced on 1 July 1999 and the central heating programme was introduced on 1 April 2001.

  The information at (a) cannot be provided because the Warm Deal is not exclusively for pensioners. However, over 4,700 households in all sectors of the stock in the Renfrewshire postcode area have benefited from the Warm Deal as administered by Eaga to date. Local authorities were also given cash resources to provide the Warm Deal package for their own tenants and 2,445 tenants of East Renfrewshire Council and Renfrewshire Council benefited from the scheme between 1999-2000 and 2001-02.

  Two hundred and ninety-two householders aged 60 or over in the private sector in the Renfrewshire postcode area benefited from the central heating programme in 2001-02, and a further 203 have so far benefited this year. There is no age criterion for the programme in the social rented sector and so a breakdown of the number of pensioner tenants who benefited is not available. However, a total of 182 tenants of East Renfrewshire Council and Renfrewshire Council benefited in 2001-02. Over 580 council tenants and 40 tenants of housing associations in the area are set to benefit this year (2002-03). For the reasons given in the answer to S1W-31646 today, we cannot estimate the number who will benefit from either programme in future years. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:

   http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Central Heating Programme

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the £47.5/47.5/47.5 million to support the central heating programme, as referred to in Building a Better Scotland: Spending Proposals 2003-2006: What the money buys , will be spent in each year in Renfrewshire.

Des McNulty: It is not possible to project how much of the available resources will be spent in the Renfrewshire area between 2003-06. But funding in the two years 2003-04 and 2004-05 will ensure that, by March 2004, all tenants of East Renfrewshire Council and Renfrewshire Council who want it will have a central heating system and all housing associations tenants in the area who also want it will have central heating during 2004. By March 2006 all over 60s in the private sector in the Renfrewshire postcode area who apply for a grant and are found to be eligible for the programme will have a central heating system installed.

Community Safety

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29399 by Ms Margaret Curran on 1 November 2002, what benefits neighbourhood wardens will bring to the citizens in those neighbourhoods.

Ms Margaret Curran: Wardens can perform a wide range of duties which will benefit neighbourhoods, including reducing crime or the fear of crime, reducing anti-social behaviour, improving environmental quality, promoting community cohesion, supporting vulnerable residents and building confidence in local agencies and intolerance of crime and disorder.

Community Safety

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29399 by Ms Margaret Curran on 1 November 2002, whether it will define those parameters of the arrangements between the employer of neighbourhood wardens/patrols and citizens in those neighbourhoods that could be considered or would be accepted.

Ms Margaret Curran: The detail of how schemes will operate is still under consideration. However, we will ensure that all neighbourhood wardens are accountable to appropriate agencies.

Community Safety

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29399 by Ms Margaret Curran on 1 November 2002, what the duties of the neighbourhood wardens/patrols will be that do not require the wardens/patrols to intervene in situations without consent but do make a valuable contribution to community safety.

Ms Margaret Curran: Wardens will provide a physical presence on the street which can act as a deterrent to crime and anti-social behaviour. They will also provide a reassurance to residents which reduces fear of crime, will provide surveillance for the police and will act as professional witnesses.

European Funding

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had, or plans to have, with the Office for National Statistics regarding any miscalculation of entitlement to Objective One funding for the Highlands and Islands.

Peter Peacock: Eurostat and not the Office for National Statistics (ONS) calculate entitlement to Objective One funding on the basis of the most up-to-date data available to them at the time. The ONS, as always, provided Eurostat with the most up to date and accurate statistics for the relevant period available at that time. No miscalculation was made.

  The Scottish Executive has been working very closely with the ONS over the period since May 2002 when the original publication date for the revised estimates of regional gross value added was deferred, and will continue to be consulted by ONS on the development of future regional accounts estimates and revisions.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring and assessment took place in relation to the closure of fishing grounds last year as part of the cod recovery plan and what the results of such monitoring and assessment were.

Ross Finnie: The purpose of the closure of some of the North Sea fishing grounds in 2001 was specifically to try to improve the spawning chances of cod with a view to enhancing future recruitment to the stock. Evaluations at the time predicted that, at best, a 5% increase in egg production might be expected in the North Sea cod stock.

  The cod stock is routinely monitored through the sampling of discards and marketed landings and during a series of research vessel cruises. Annual assessments take place within the ICES framework: a stock improvement of sufficient magnitude would be detected by this monitoring. Additional monitoring was not therefore carried out. It is still too early to draw firm conclusions on the efficacy or otherwise of the closure on the state of the cod stock although it is questionable whether such a small predicted benefit to egg production would lead to a detectable improvement in subsequent stock biomass.

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Environment and Rural Development has met any MSP in connection with the future of the fishing industry, the impending negotiations with the EU and the future of the Common Fisheries Policy and, if so, whom he has met and on what dates.

Ross Finnie: I have had recent meetings with, or involving, MSPs as follows:

  11 November: Nora Radcliffe, Nicol Stephen, Richard Lochhead and Stewart Stevenson;

  14 November: Iain Smith and Euan Robson;

  26 November: Lewis Macdonald and Elaine Thompson;

  2 December: Tavish Scott;

  12 December: Richard Lochhead, Fergus Ewing, Stewart Stevenson, Andrew Welsh, Winnie Ewing and Margaret Ewing, and

  17 December: Richard Lochhead.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has sought any legal opinion on whether the 1985 Act of Accession envisages that Spain’s northern EEC fishing access rights will expire on 31 December 2002.

Ross Finnie: Following discussions in EC Working Groups, the opinion of the Council Legal Services was sought on that and related matters. Their view is that the access restrictions defined in Articles 156-164 of the Iberian Act of Accession definitively expire after 31 December 2002. The Executive regularly takes legal advice on relevant issues and advice from its legal advisers on this matter is consistent with that from the Council Legal Services.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-31980 by Ross Finnie on 10 December 2002, whether keeping the Common Fisheries Policy's (CFP) principle of relative stability central to a new CFP would not be facilitated by a permissive interpretation of the legal scope of the review clause of EEC Regulation 3760/1992.

Ross Finnie: Ministers at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in December voted in favour of retaining the principle of relative stability in quota allocation, as part of a wider package of CFP reforms.

Forestry

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to draw up an action plan to implement its commitments made in the UK Forest Partnership for Action.

Allan Wilson: The UK Forest Partnership for Action is at the early stages of developing an action plan, based on the statement published at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development in September 2002. In this spirit of co-operation, it is for each partner to bring forward actions which can be incorporated in the plan. Partners include a range of industry and environmental organisations as well as the Scottish Executive, other devolved administrations and UK Government Departments. Although the focus of the partnership is primarily international, we will make our contribution through actions in Scotland, for example by implementing the Scottish Forestry Strategy.

Forestry

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the annual report of the Forestry Commission will be published soon; whether it will be published during the parliamentary recess, and, if so, whether any decision was taken specifically to delay publication until during recess.

Allan Wilson: The annual report for the Forestry Commission in Scotland was placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 25806), on Monday 23 December 2002. No decision was taken specifically to delay publication until during recess.

Further and Higher Education

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30199 by Iain Gray on 16 October 2002, what action it has taken to evaluate the impact of the new student funding packages on (a) the number of students in term-time employment and (b) levels of student debt and what the reasons are for its position on these matters.

Iain Gray: The new student support arrangements were introduced for eligible students starting higher education courses from 2001-02 and are, therefore, only in their second year.

  We intend to undertake a specific income and expenditure survey of Scottish domiciled further and higher education students during 2003.

Further and Higher Education

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many students successfully completed a higher education course solely at a further education institution in each year since 1990.

Iain Gray: The number of students graduating from higher education courses in further education institutions since 1990 has been:

  
 Year 
 1990-91
2,718  1991-92
4,312  1992-93
6,376  1993-94
7,877  1994-95
11,250  1995-96
12,302  1996-97
14,650  1997-98
14,243  1998-99
13,862  1999-2000
14,252  2000-01
13,716

General Agreement on Trade in Services

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30235 by Malcolm Chisholm on 17 October 2002, what requests for liberalisation under the General Agreement on Trade in Services it has made.

Iain Gray: None.

General Practitioners

Mr Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22072 by Malcolm Chisholm on 1 February 2002, what information it has regarding the number of patients removed from GPs lists in the Lanarkshire NHS Board area and what guidance it gives to GPs to guard against inappropriate removal.

Malcolm Chisholm: The numbers of patients removed from GPs' lists in the Lanarkshire NHS Board area each year excluding those removed as a result of death, emigration or change of address are as follows:

  

1996 1997
1998 1999
2000 2001
 Number of removals
754 667
1,096 1,007
435 568
 Removals in cases of violence
11 13
17 6
30 6


  The terms of service for GPs are set out in the NHS (General Medical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 1995. Except where a GP wishes removal to take place with immediate effect because of violence or the threat of it, the regulations do not require GPs to give reasons for the removal of a patient and consequently no guidance has been issued from the Executive.

  The General Medical Council has issued guidance to doctors which states that they must not discriminate against patients on the basis of their lifestyle, culture, beliefs, race, colour, gender, sexuality, age, social status or perceived economic worth. The guidance makes clear that it refers in cases where patients are removed.

Health Spending

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what underspend in the Health Department budget there has been in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01 and (c) 2001-02 and what underspend is projected for 2002-03.

Malcolm Chisholm: The cash underspends for the Health Department as set out in the 1999-2000 Appropriation Accounts and 2000-01 Cash Accounts were £76 million and £168 million respectively. The Health Department’s resource underspend for 2001-02, as set out in the 2001-02 Scottish Executive Core Departments Resource Accounts, was £73 million. It is not possible to give an accurate forecast outturn figure for 2002-03 because the position varies throughout the year. NHS boards are able to carry forward up to 1% of their unified budget allocations in any one year. Monitoring returns from NHS boards currently indicates lower levels of underspend than in previous years.

Housing

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of land released for housing developments since May 1999 has come from sites formerly used as playing fields.

Des McNulty: This information is not held centrally.

Livestock

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many recorded rams and ram lambs (a) were retained for in-flock improvement by Highlands and Islands Sheep Strategy (HISS) members in (i) 2001 and (ii) 2002, (b) were sold by HISS members in each year and (c) will be available for in-flock improvement in 2003.

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the achievements of the Highland and Islands Sheep Strategy have been to date in relation to the (a) number of lambs recorded under the strategy and (b) overall genetic improvement in respect of ewes and rams.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive assisted with the first phase of the strategy through Highlands and Islands Agricultural Programme funding and the economic benefits were evaluated at the end of 2001, when Phase 1 results showed improvements worth 62p/lamb.

  The detailed information requested is not held centrally by the Executive, but can be obtained directly from the HISS Steering Group that now manage and fund Phase 2 of the strategy.

Meat Industry

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-31113 by Ross Finnie on 11 November 2002, whether it has received a response from European Commission officials with regard to the UK obtaining a contribution from the EU to the 2003 transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) surveillance programme costs and whether any such response will be made public and a copy placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Ross Finnie: I can confirm that the European Commission responded on 11 November to the UK Government's request to submit a late application for co-financing of its TSE monitoring programme for 2003. The Commission rejected that request on the grounds that it would be illegal to grant such assistance where an application was submitted after the deadline of 1 June.

  It is not the policy of the UK Government to publish correspondence with the Commission.

Mental Health

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made with the policy and financial management review of the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The review is now complete and the report is being published today. The key recommendations of the report are as follows:

  1.1 Focus on users and carers. The report makes two recommendations to improve the representation of views from users and carers to the commission and one to improve information and guidance from the commission to users and carers.

  1.2 Operations, efficiency and review. The report makes two recommendations to support current action to improve processes and one to provide a better focus for on-going review of the organisation by commissioners.

  1.3 Staffing, skills and staff appraisal. The report recommends a senior management structure which continues the post of director or chief officer as the chief professional and policy adviser and responsible officer in the commission. To support the chief officer, a new administrative post of business manager is proposed with a standing delegation for all management matters. The report also recommends that the appraisal process for all commissioners is made consistent; that the pay of professional staff remains linked to that of their respective peers; that skills shortages in internal finance and in medical practice are addressed, and that action is taken to further improve the operation of secondments and the motivation and management of seconded administrative staff.

  1.4 External environment and partnership working. The report makes three recommendations to support improved partnership working in future.

  1.5 Transitional arrangements. The report suggests an amended pattern of committee responsibilities and meetings to involve and use the specialist knowledge of part-time commissioners better, and also suggests some priorities for current planning for change within the commission.

  The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland have seen the report and in general accept the recommendations. The Scottish Executive will now work with the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland to ensure effective implementation.

  A copy of the report has been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 25847) and is available on the Scottish Executive and Mental Welfare Commission websites.

Multiple Sclerosis

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how long, on average, multiple sclerosis sufferers wait for an assessment for beta interferon, broken down by NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-30808 on 12 November 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

   http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Multiple Sclerosis

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many sufferers of multiple sclerosis are currently waiting for an assessment for beta interferon, broken down by NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally. Only certain patients with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis are likely to benefit from treatment with beta interferon and patients’ eligibility for this treatment depends on the clinical judgement of the specialist concerned.

  The UK-wide risk-sharing scheme for beta interferon and glatiramer acetate allows such treatments to be prescribed on the NHS to patients who meet criteria set out by the Association of British Neurologists (ABN). The guidance which explained the scheme, Health Department Letter (2002) 6, which is available from the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 20653), estimated that the total number of patients in Scotland who fall within the ABN guidelines might be in the range 1,300 to 1,560. These figures do not take into account patients already receiving treatment with beta interferon or glatiramer acetate.

Racism

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how the UN International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination impacts on provisions within the law that relate to the prevention of racism in health, housing, education and social services.

Ms Margaret Curran: The specific duties under the amended Race Relations Act to promote race equality imposed on key public bodies by Scottish ministers earlier last year will ensure that our public services are fair, accessible and sensitive to the needs of all our communities. The UN International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination does not add to or detract from these responsibilities.

Rail Services

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who will own the 22 new three-car trains referred to in its news release SEET213/2002.

Lewis Macdonald: The rolling stock will be procured by ScotRail and ownership will remain in the private sector.

Renewable Energy

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what distance its guidelines recommend wind turbines should be sited from residential properties on account of noise considerations.

Des McNulty: Noise from wind farms is more appropriately controlled by considering proposals in relation to acceptable noise limits rather than imposing a specific separation distance. Planning Advice Note 45: Renewable Energy Developments  confirms that The Assessment and Rating of Noise from Wind Farms (ETSU for DTI, 1996) can be regarded as relevant guidance on good practice. A copy of this document is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 25773).

Rural Development

Mr Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of farms being tenanted would represent a vibrant tenanted sector.

Ross Finnie: Our vision of a vibrant tenanted sector is not based on the percentage of farms being tenanted. It is instead reflected by a number of factors. We want landlords to be confident to let land and for there to be strong demand for tenanted land. We want to encourage increased investment in tenanted land by both landlords and tenants.

  It is also crucial that tenanted land is used in a way that best supports rural Scotland. In this regard, issues such as levels of income drawn from the land, employment opportunities and other benefits that arise for the surrounding community and the way in which the land supports the environment are particularly important.

Scottish Executive Websites

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost of developing the One Scotland. Many Cultures website was and how much has been budgeted for the maintenance of the site, inclusive of VAT in each case.

Ms Margaret Curran: www.onescotland.com has cost £38,775 to date, inclusive of VAT. No specific amount has been allocated for the maintenance of the site, which will be the responsibility of Executive officials with occasional support from the site designers.

Student Finance

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made on its commitment to consider undertaking a survey in association with the Student Awards Agency for Scotland and the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council in respect of recommendation 4 of the Independent Committee of Inquiry into Student Finance, referred to in Annex A of Scotland the Learning Nation: Helping Students ; when the report of such a survey will be published, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Iain Gray: We intend to undertake a specific income and expenditure survey of Scottish further and higher education students during 2003.

Student Finance

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether graduating students will have less debt following the implementation of its new student support schemes; what the reasons are for the position on this matter, and what the is of the number of students that will benefit in each academic year to 2007-08.

Iain Gray: The rates of student loan support and the thresholds for parental or spouse contributions have been set in such a way that no graduating student should have more debt under the new student support arrangements than they would have had under the previous system. Almost all young students are expected to have less debt under the new arrangements.

  The number of students who will benefit from the new arrangements in each academic year to 2007-08 will depend upon the numbers applying to undertake higher education courses. The extent to which each will benefit from the new arrangements will depend upon their personal circumstances.

Student Finance

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many mature students received the maximum available mature students’ bursary in each year since the scheme started.

Iain Gray: Individual colleges and universities are asked to report back to the Student Awards Agency each year with information on the individual awards they have made under the Mature Students’ Bursary Scheme. Not all returns have yet been received in relation to the first year of the scheme’s operation (2001-02).

Student Finance

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria it uses to determine the level of funding that it will provide each year under the mature students’ bursary scheme.

Iain Gray: The overall level of funding is based on the proportion of the student population expected to be eligible for support under Mature Students Bursary Fund (MSBF). Funds are redistributed from the Hardship Funds on the basis of the proportion of the higher education student population in universities and colleges which started courses since 2001-02. Allocations are then made to each institution on the basis of the proportion of their student population which is assessed by the Student Awards Agency as being independent of parental contribution or which receives a supplementary allowance in respect of their having dependent children or of their being a lone parent. Each of these three criteria is given equal weight.

  An additional allocation is made to provide each institution with a contribution towards the costs of administering and publicising the bursary. Each receives a basic amount (£750 in the current year) with the balance of the total (£200,000 in the current year) allocated to each based on the size of their MSBF allocation.